Shakur
Masculine · “thankful”
Shakur is overwhelmingly a boys’ name — 1,613 boys against 9 girls since 1880.
Shakur is the Arabic word for one who is deeply thankful, and it is one of the divine names — the sense being that God rewards small acts far beyond their size.
How old is the name Shakur?
Shakur first appears in US birth records in 1987 — 38 years ago. The typical Shakur alive today was born around 2005, making them about 20 years old. About 1,600 people named Shakur are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Shakur most popular?
Shakur peaked in 1997, reaching #1065 nationally. Today it ranks #3757, 2,692 places below that high. See the whole 1997 chart.
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
The story of Shakur
The root sh-k-r gives Arabic its everyday words for thanks — shukran is the word said dozens of times a day — and shakur is the intensive form. Its use as a divine name is theologically striking: it says that God is grateful, which is not a claim every tradition makes. The name is used across the Muslim world and appears in American records particularly in African-American Muslim families.
Meaning
thankful, grateful
From an Arabic root meaning to thank; ash-Shakur is among the names of God, understood as the one who is grateful for and rewards even the smallest good, and the human name carries the ordinary adjective.
Pronouncing Shakur
shah-KOOR
Two syllables with the stress on the long second. There is little variation.
Nicknames for Shakur
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1987
- Most boys named
- 1997119 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1065reached in 1997
- Change vs 2024
- −51.7%29 in 2025, from 60
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Shakur in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Shakoor in Arabic — spelling variant
- Shakoor in Urdu — same name
- Şekur in Turkish — same name
Strongest US states over the last decade: Pennsylvania, New York, California.
Shakurs among us
people named Shakur are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 58,899 born in 2025 was named Shakur
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Demetris test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Shakur's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Demetris climbed just as high around 1975, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Demetris's path sketches the road Shakur is walking now.
Shakur sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Shakur is headed
Shakur should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Shakur beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Shakur in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- A settled meaning with a genuinely striking theological sense behind it.
- Six letters and two syllables, easy to write and to say.
- Recognized across the whole Muslim world.
- A very well-known American rapper carries the name as a surname, which is the first association for many.
- Shakoor and Shakur are both used and relatives may prefer the other.
- The stress moves to the front in some English mouths.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Shakur to the vote.
Add it to a family vote or a couple’s swipe deck — the other person gets one card, a simple answer and room to say why. No app, no account for them.
Only the people you invite can see your list.
Already decided on Shakur? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Shakur
Masculine · #3757 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Shakurs are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 1,600 people named Shakur are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Shakur in 2025?
- Shakur ranks #3757 among US boy names in 2025, with 29 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Shakur?
- About 1 in every 58,899 US boys born in 2025 was named Shakur — 29 in all.
- Will my child share the name Shakur with classmates?
- Shakur will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Shakur
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Stanton#3757 · Reymundo#3757 · Greer#3757 · Zaven#3757 · Kelson#3757 · Javin#3757 · Faizan#3757 · Wilfred#3757
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Shakur? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Shakur and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
Compare side by sideIn a hurry? Just pick a winner — one tap, no sign-up, and you see how everyone else voted.
Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
No advertising trackers and no data sellinghow we handle your dataindependent and founder-run, about Name Battle